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UBC Centre for High-Throughput Biology, Director
Chemical Biology: Directed Evolution and Inhibitor Screening
The Withers laboratory brings the tools of organic chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology to bear on the identification, development and evolution of novel biocatalysts, as well as on the development of potent enzyme inhibitors, both by design and by screening. We have a particular interest in the enzymes involved in the assembly and degradation of glycans, with applications ranging from glycoprotein and glycolipid assembly through development of antivirals to biomass conversion. |
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Cell Biology Proteomics
Our group is interested in a multidisciplinary approach to relevant cell biological problems. We develop and apply quantitative proteomic methods to questions involving organelles and how the composition of these compartments change when antagonized. |
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Computational Biology of Protein Structure and Interaction
Our group is interested in the mechanism of protein-mediated intracellular signal transduction and how this vital process is affected in neurodegenerative disorders. We develop and apply computational means to determine and analyze (i) the structures of signaling proteins and protein complexes and (ii) the constraints that structural features put on regulation, evolution and interaction of signaling proteins. |
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Microsystems Tools in Biology
Our research is focused on the development of new microsystems tools for biology and on the validation of these tools in the context of outstanding problems in biology and medicine. Through unprecedented integration and economy of scale, these microsystems tools will enable highly multiplexed measurements with increased throughput and dramatic savings in sample consumption and cost. |
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Ubiquitin Proteomics
We have developed a new mass spectrometry approach to identify ubiquitylated proteins that were purified from cells. Using metabolic labeling, we are able to perform quantitative analysis to measure variations in the ubiquitin proteome after perturbing (genetically or chemically) the ubiquitin system.
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Computational Biology of RNA Function and Structure
RNA sequences are remarkable molecules which play a number of key roles in living organisms. We investigate how the expression of protein-coding genes and RNA genes is regulated on transcript level, in particular via mechanisms that involve RNA structure and RNA-RNA interactions.
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Informatics and Neuroscience
Our group is focused on the development of tools and methods for informatics and their application to problems in neuroscience. |
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